formalize
verb
Simple meaning
To give something a definite form.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fawrmuhlyzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfɔɹməlaɪz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To give something a formal or official standing.
transitive
To give something a definite form; to shape.
Make formal or official
“We formalized the appointment and gave him a title.”
intransitive
To develop into a definite form.
To act with formality.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
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More ways to use formalize
- “We formalized the appointment and gave him a title.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
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Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Concerned with or characterized by rigorous adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.